Manila, Philippines — Despite controlling most of the match and being the decidedly more dangerous side, Kaya FC-Iloilo couldn’t find the back of the net against One Taguig FC—the teams splitting the points in a 0-0 draw. 

The game began as a cautious affair, with both sides picking their spots on the ball and anticipating errors in defense. It was a physical contest up and down the pitch, but Kaya Iloilo maintained control in midfield and shut down attacks down the flanks—limiting One Taguig to just a single shot in each half.  

It was in the final third where Kaya found trouble executing, managing to get only 7 of their 19 shots on target. Jarvey Gayoso, Jhan Melliza, Eric Esso, Yiyoung Park, and Audie Menzi all had multiple chances; while Kaishu Yamazaki stood out with consecutive efforts, both his driven shot and glancing header narrowly missing the right post.

Despite the limited joy to be found in open play, Iloilo’s aggressive approach seemed to have earned them at least two penalty chances in the second half. 

In the 71st minute, Kaishu Yamazaki was initially awarded a penalty after being brought down from behind by One’s Matthew Custodio inside the box. However, after consulting with his linesman, the referee deemed the contact marginal and overturned the initial decision.

Then, a contentious no-call in the 93rd minute sealed the fate of the match. Jovin Bedic delivered a through ball into the box, sparking a race for possession between Robert Lopez Mendy and former teammate Quincy Kammeraad. The Kaya forward reached the ball first and was subsequently clipped by the keeper, prompting what should’ve been a penalty shout. However, the officials saw the situation differently and did not make the call.

Though it may be frustrating to leave points on the table like this, the team’s focus now shifts to next week and the first home match of the season against fellow title contender, Dynamic Herb Cebu FC.

Starting Lineup:

LF: Komaki, ST: Gayoso, RF: Melliza

CM: Yamazaki, CDM: Park, CM: Esso

LB: Arboleda, CB: Menzi©, CB: Saito, RB: Diano

GK: Birrou

Subs: Balobo, Bata, Swainston, Bedic, Angeles, Lee, Casambre, Lopez Mendy, Konate, Romero

Coach Yu Hoshide used four his five available substitutions:

• Mark Swainston and Dokyung Lee checked in for Yiyoung Park and Jhan Melliza in the 58th minute.
• Robert Lopez Mendy checked in for Shuto Komaki in the 76th minute.
• Lastly, Jovin Bedic made his entrance, replacing Jarvey Gayoso in the 86th minute.  

The game’s physical nature saw two Kaya players enter the referee’s book, with Mar Diano and Eric Esso receiving yellow cards in the 35th and 61st minutes, respectively.